There are known two main basic automatic car washing machines, one known as "Conveyorized Car Wash" while the second is known as "Rollover".
The difference between the above mentioned machines is quite substantial, in the first type a conveyor is provided on which or, by which the car is carried or pushed forward while the cleaning brushes and drying assemblies are stationery, i.e. the washing is performed during the traveling of the car. In the second type the car is stationery while the cleaning brushes and drying assemblies move forward and backward, during the washing process.
These two concepts have some advantages and some drawbacks.
The two main drawbacks of the Conveyorized Car Wash are:
1. One set of brushes is designed so it can move across (horizontally/vertically) to the car movement direction. The purpose of this movement is to clean the front and the back parts of cars; this movement does not leave enough time for proper cleaning, and PA1 2. The problem of crossed directions of movements applies also to wheel scrubbers. The present solutions suffer either poor cleaning quality or too much complexity which causes frequent breakdowns. PA1 1. A slot; (or recession) which enables the pushing (or pulling) wheel to slip down, consequently disengaging the car's wheel. PA1 2. A cover; which enables the pushing wheel to go over the recession and resume the pushing of the car, PA1 3. A concave; which fixes the car's wheel in the desired position, and PA1 4. A shaft seat; which enables the pushing wheel to slip down. This element is applied in certain types of conveyors only.
In the machines of the first kind the cleaning process is much quicker as one car after the other can enter the machine--thus such machines could wash as many as 60 cars per hour.
The machine of the second kind handles one car at a time, not in a continuous manner thus only 8 to 12 cars per hour could be washed.
Regarding the quality of washing, the machine of the second kind is by far better especially in respect of the wheels, the front and the rear parts of the car.